


Re: Sonic the Hedgehog

by speedzone



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Original, Continuity reboot, Original Continuity, Original Universe, original lore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2020-03-02 08:11:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18807199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/speedzone/pseuds/speedzone
Summary: A long time ago, a hero was born. That hero was Sonic the Hedgehog, lover of peace, protector of freedom, and a regular force of nature. Sonic has long battled for the natural order of the world against the maniacal and scheming plans of Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, but seldom few know this story from beginning to end. Join Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and a variety of other colorful characters from across the franchise's long history in a brand new, serial retelling of the game series, rewritten from the ground up with an original plot, lore, and very liberal reinterpretations - meant to be accessible to longtime fans and series newcomers alike. This isn't your dad's Sonic, this is Sonic like you've never seen him before. Try to keep up to speed.





	1. Index

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An index for the story and its arcs. The actual story proper begins in the Chapter "Trouble on West Side Island".

Hello everybody! This "Chapter 0" of sorts is basically just a quick addendum to the fic to serve as somewhat of an  _arc index_ which will be updated over time to give new and old readers an easy way to jump around to their desired point in canon proper. Obviously reading the  _entire_ fic is recommended to newcomers, considering lore additions and etc. but this is just to give you the convenience of options.

Below, you'll find a list of arcs that have  _already started_. Note that arcs that are planned for the future are not shown yet. The currently ongoing arc will always be  **bolded** on the list. This index will update as the fic progresses, arcs are completed, and new arcs are started.  _Completed_ arcs in the list will be underlined like so. Note that because this index is  _meant_ to be labeled as Chapter  **0** , but AO3 lists it as  _Chapter 1_ , chapter numbers will be one  _ahead_ of how they are listed below (Chapter 1 on this list would actually be Chapter 2 in the site's Chapter list, etc.)

 **ARC LIST** :

  1. **Beginnings Arc (Sonic the Hedgehog 2)** | Chapters 1-???



_To Be Further Edited_


	2. Trouble on West Side Island

The explosion over the hill was exceptionally loud that day.

Granted, it's not as if many people on West Side Island ever heard _explosions_ amidst the sounds of nature and the peaceful breeze, it was a fairly remote and lush  **resort island**. In the many years its few citizens had lived there, it had remained that way. The large, neighboring land of  **Empire City** to the East was much more prone to the hustle and bustle of active danger, so many who came here were often looking to escape that sort of life. Unfortunately the danger had finally arrived  _to_ them, that day. The day that  **Ivo Robotnik** came to town.

* * *

 

**Doctor Ivo Robotnik** , also known as  **Doctor Eggman** was a strange fellow. He was a man of forty five years of age, he stretched to a towering six feet of height, plus an additional inch, and he weighed around 282 pounds. He had striking blue eyes concealed much of the time by navy blue pince-nez glasses, if not his trusty pair of goggles that always seemed to sit atop his bald head in preparation for when he'd need them. He wore a red turtleneck jacket with a white trim, yellow cuffs, and fine golden, rectangular buttons. He was also adorned with a pair of black, one-piece pants with boots, a silver accent lining it all the while. Just one glance at the man could tell you a  _few_ things about him, namely that his fashion sense was absolutely perplexing, and that the man _himself_ was just a wee bit of a complete  **lunatic**.

A year prior, the good doctor had arrived to  **South Island** , a land off on the Eastern side of Empire City of rolling green hills and beautiful waterfalls. Upon asserting himself to the locals, he wasted very little time rounding up any Mobian he could get his hands on and  _shoving them_ , forcefully, into his strange robotic contraptions; machines that would encase an organic creature in a suit of metal and force it to operate to his bidding - often for  **slave labor**. It's at this point it might prove prudent to explain what a Mobian even is.

A  **mobian** is an advanced form of  _anthropomorphized animal creature subsets_ , similar to the native wildlife of the world you and I, dear reader, inhabit ourselves. This world is not ours, and it never was, but it bears some similarities nonetheless. How the Mobians came about is anybody's guess, scientists having worked to try to answer that quandary for years, especially considering the generous size of _not_ anthropomorphic animals still residing in the world. But no satisfactory result ever seemed to be met; at least not with compelling evidence to back it up. Nevertheless, they made up a decent size of the world's population, and their integration into society was fairly seamless, barring a few hiccups here and there. This didn't mean tensions between the world's Mobian population and that of its Human population was anything to sneeze at, however.  **Robotnik** was adequate proof of this longstanding prejudice in motion.

Ivo didn't care much for the autonomy of these furry bipeds, often seeing them as a means to an end. An aspiring autocrat himself, he had long dreamed of taking the land he had carved out for himself, the self-named  **Eggman Empire** , and expanding it  _globally_. From the United Federation to Mazuri, from the glaciers of Holoska to the jungles of Adabat, people would know and  _respect_ the name  **Ivo Robotnik**. He had already managed to secure a decent bit of land to the West of the United Federation for his empire, well equipped enough with machinery to make a siege of land difficult and risky to attempt for any military force in the world. All he had to do was  _expand_ his vision, bend the weak to his will, and from there? He could make the world his oyster. It was a  **brilliant plan** , or at least; that's the narrative he'd fed himself for the past several years now.

Last year, things took a turn for the  _sour_ for Ivo, he had been dealt his first crushing  **defeat**.

* * *

 

But none of that seemed to matter right now, especially not to a young **Miles Prower**. As the small fox mobian let teal eyes meet the sky, he saw smoke, he heard screams, and he heard the sound he had heard on the news all those months ago when the incidents on South Island had kicked up. The sounds of struggling citizens frantically seeking shelter as they were uniformly forced into cages of metal; their limbs constricted by the wills of machines meant only to serve a mad ruler. And lo and behold, that mad ruler wasn't far from the frenzy. The Eggman himself descended upon the plain of grass in his hovering  **Egg-O-Matic** vehicle, glint visible in his eye as he sneered down to the boy.

"Odd specimen this one..." He seemed not to speak to Miles, but rather to himself. "Birth defect?" His tone fluctuated between puzzled and  **fixated**. Miles felt a surge of embarrassment seize his countenance upon that remark (even though fear was still the strongest feeling still sitting in his chest). Miles was born with a rare birth defect, almost  _unheard_ of even among Mobians of his caliber. He was  **supposed** to have a single tail, like most foxes would be expected to, but instead he was born with  _two_. It was the bane of his fragile childhood existence, earning him consistent teasing and jeers from peers and adults alike, and it seemed that the world  _was_ indeed  **cruel enough** to saddle him with the shame of it even in his final moments.

Though he felt it a futile exercise to attempt, even as his knees were buckled and shaking; Miles tried to  _manipulate the curvature_ of his twin appendages to create somewhat of a  **rotary blade** with his own body. He had gotten close before to using this trick to  _fly_ , propelling himself through the air with the speed generated by his tails, but it was an exhausting task, and he hadn't yet succeeded in picking up enough speed to pull it off. As he attempted to do so, fear seizing him in the moment, he felt a mounting sense of dread as the towering human's expression became ever  _more_ intrigued.

"Fascinating... _this_ one should be an excellent addition to my forces." A mouthful of teeth curved into a twisted smile and Miles recoiled, stumbling back, unable to scream as silence lurched up from his stomach and into his throat. In that moment, as all time seemed to cease moving, as the wind blew through the tufts of fur in his face, Miles could have sworn the breeze had become a  **storm** \- vicious and fast with the intensity of a hurricane.

And that's because it **had**.

The Doctor's hand froze in place, his expression mangled itself from a gleeful smile to an excruciating grimace. His heel spun as he turned, seemingly no longer focused on the boy as he called out. " **You** again?! You pesky little pincushion, just when are you going to keep your nose out of my business?!" A glimmer of hope rose in Miles' chest as he remembered what, until now, he had seemed to be too  _scared_ to.

You see, Doctor Ivo Robotnik was not  **infallible** , not unstoppable, and certainly not unrivaled. In fact, his attempted takeover of South Island last year had  **failed** , thanks to what reports say was a single-handed effort led by an incredible  _freedom fighter_ dedicated to putting the mad doctor in his place. That freedom fighter was, like Miles, a  **Mobian** \- and an unusual one at that. He was a Hedgehog, seemingly like any other, but what set him apart from the pack was that - for reasons unknown, he was  _freakishly_ quick on his feet. Able to zoom across miles of land uninhibited, able to cross buildings in an effortless leap, and somehow able to maintain his limitless stamina while doing so. He was everything Miles wanted to be, and his name...what was his name, again? Miles needn't wait long to recall the answer.

The dirt tore asunder as a sole hit the ground. One moment, Miles was sure nobody stood before him, but the next? He felt the  **wind of arrival** as a blue streak sped by, halting right in front of him and shielding him from danger. "I told ya' before waddles, it ain't nice to use **rude diminutives**..." A voice spoke up with a confident sneer that spoke  _volumes_ to the character of its deliverer. "Thought you'd have learned that before you went and got a  _PHD_ , for cryin' out loud. But if you  _really_ went and forgot my name so quick, allow me to reintroduce myself, yeah?" No way...No  **way**. Was it really him? Miles couldn't  _believe_ it, but it  **really** was...

" **Sonic the Hedgehog** , at your service, dearest Doctor Ro- _buttnik_."

Miles could swear he  _heard_ the tense  **grit of teeth** coming from the Doctor's direction. This wasn't just the moment Miles had met Ivo Robotnik, it wasn't  _just_ the moment he met Sonic the Hedgehog. This was the moment that  **everything changed**.


	3. Tornado

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the move to prevent a widespread disaster at the hands of Doctor Ivo Robotnik, Sonic the Hedgehog might need the help of a new companion to get himself off the ground running.

The next sound Miles Prower heard was a  _searingly_ heavy thud.

The mad doctor, Ivo Robotnik had just about  **had it** with the interference of world renowned hero, and his new arch-rival, Sonic the Hedgehog. His arrival was putting a huge damper on his newly invigorated plans for world domination, and the systematic takeover of West Side Island was in grave jeopardy now that he had caught wind of the Eggman's inclinations. Having hopped back into his Egg-O-Matic hovercraft, he had seemingly decided to even the playing field somewhat between he and his spiny adversary. Having pressed a button on the machine, Robotnik's carrier was nigh instantly outfitted with a large, car-like body, which folded outward not unlike how a fold-out couch would. Extensions, gears, and mechanical pieces all whirred and hissed as they unfolded from their constraints, the weight of the newly grounded vehicle causing the ground below it to rumble upon impact.

Sonic kept a guarded hand behind himself and in front of Miles. "Yo..." He whispered grimly, "...get the heck outta here, Tails. No time to lose." What had he just called him? Miles blinked slowly, realizing it was a  _nickname_ \- quickly conceived with an evident lack of knowledge as to what the child's  **real** name was. Well, that wasn't insulting at all. No, seriously, he actually kind of  **liked it**. It had a simple but natural sounding ring to it. Still though, as enamored as he was with a personal nickname delivered by his hero, Miles- no,  **Tails** wasn't quite willing to budge just yet. Sonic was clearly in a bit of a tight spot, and although he trusted Sonic could handle it, he'd feel  _awful_ for leaving him behind here by himself. So he stood his ground, shook his head gently, just barely managed to shake out a quivering voice in response.

"I'm not gonna leave you behind, Sonic."

 _That_ yielded a response. Sonic's brows furrowed, but after a moment of silent contemplation, a grin passed back over his face. He was  **impressed**. "Hm...lil' bit of  **moxie**  on you, huh kid? I dig it. Alright, just follow my lead okay?" his tone was hushed just so Tails could hear him, and Robotnik certainly wasn't growing any more patient with each passing moment. He curled his fists and let them fall heavily to the dashboard, fingers practically scraping into it as he called hoarsely. "Say your prayers, you miserable rat! I'm about to make  **mincemeat** out of you!" A single button press more would  _prove_ just how he intended to do so, too. As soon as Ivo released the pressure of his finger from the switch he had slammed down, his machine began to  _convulse_ once again.

The machine produced what seemed to be a large  **drill** , poking out front and center. It began to whir and spin menacingly, gathering enough speed and strength to shred anything it touched. Without a second thought, the scientist slammed his foot on the gas, charging it directly forward like a  **ram** aimed at the blue hedgehog. Sonic was quick to react, taking hold of the young fox's wrist and swiping, with blistering speed, to the side and out of the way. Tails felt his heart leap out of his chest at the sensation, not  _only_ of a  **dangerous death machine** hurtling toward him, but the fact that with Sonic's assistance, he had actually managed to  _dodge it_. Sonic smirked, nudging a curled fist against Tails' shoulder. "Hey..." he whispered, "I saw that trick you were startin' to gear up earlier, do you think I could get a  **lift**?"

That  _trick_...? Oh,  **right**. Sonic had seen him when he tried to propel himself upward with his  _tails_.  **Tails** wasn't sure if he could do it, though. He had certainly tried a fair few times and come really close, but when push came to shove, he had always failed. Well, it's like they always say, the best way to  **learn** is under extreme and life threatening amounts of pressure, right? Well, the climate was certainly  **full of that** , so there seemed like no better time to finally learn. He began to twirl his appendages, already starting to feel discouraged when he noticed the physical toll it was taking on him,  **anxiety rising** as Robotnik started to  **turn** his machine around to get another chance to race toward them both. Sonic, however, didn't seem pressed for time at all. He pressed a comforting hand to the smaller's shoulder, as if patiently waiting for him to take his time. His voice was a bit more  _telling_ of a mounting tension, but even then, he was clearly giving a fair shot at keeping his tone even. 

"C'mon...focus, man. I know you got it in you, I  _saw_ it. That's  **real talent** laying down inside you, there. Just bring it _out_."

Something in Tails'  _stomach_ felt odd. Like he was somehow suddenly  **weightless** , or like he had been tossed from the ground and up into the air. This feeling, of course, wasn't entirely  _unfounded_ because as soon as he allowed his clenched eyes to roll slowly open, he realized something. He was hovering just slightly in the air, his  _tails_ were spinning up a  **frenzy** , and Sonic, holding onto his hand all the while, was in tow. As he found himself higher up in the air, he felt a joyful laugh begin to bubble up from his chest, watching as the crazed doctor became smaller and  _smaller_ still from up above. Sonic, similarly, let a full belly laugh take him over, giving a small peace sign to Robotnik below. 

"Awwwwh, what's the matter? Didn't pack your air gear?" Sonic teased, turning to give a small whisper to Tails. "Hey, I know this sounds crazy...but when I say  **go** , I need you to  _toss me_ down toward old egg-breath as  _hard as you can_ , okay?"

Well, Sonic was right about  _one thing_ , that  **did** sound absolutely  **crazy**. Tails wasn't sure what exactly he was even planning to do once he was let go, but if he had learned anything in the past few minutes he had spent by Sonic's side? It's that conventional thinking was  **out the window** with this guy, and  **out of the box thinking** was the name of the game. So instead of voicing what might seem like a reasonable concern, the fox conceded to the following two ideas. One was that they didn't really have the time to argue about the semantics of a plan if they were going to get one going  _before_ Eggman got royally pissed and shot them out of the sky with something. **Two** was that if he was going to be of help to Sonic, he was going to have to trust the hedgehog's gut and act accordingly. Tails nodded, uttering a simple "Gotcha" in response, and the look on Sonic's face seemed pleased.

Robotnik growled from below, clearly beginning to tinker away at some panel on his machine. "That might be...but I  _do_ have something that will bring you a little  **closer to home**." A flick of a switch sent the drill on his machine into an even quicker frenzy than it had already  **been** spinning at before. Sparks began to fly from the friction it was creating, and just as Tails began to realize what was happening, it was too late. The drill disengaged from its restraints, flying completely out of the front of Robotnik's vehicle. Like a guided missile, it began to swerve upward into the air, seeking their forms with a deadly mission on its mind. The doctor grinned, clearly using the panel on the dashboard to control the projectile's trajectory - he really  **had** thought of everything, hadn't he? Tails began to feel a bit of panic rise in his chest again, but when his eyes flitted toward Sonic, he noticed that the hedgehog's expression hadn't wavered even a  **bit**. 

For a moment, Tails is puzzled, wondering if Sonic's somehow managed to space out, but his question is answered for him when suddenly, Sonic whispers hoarsely. " **Go**." Wait, now?! For real? Right now? Tails honestly claims, with all certainty, to understand Sonic's plan even  **less** now than he did thirty seconds ago. But even still, he  _had_ already decided to comply, right? So he did, he loosened his grip on Sonic's hand as soon as the word was said, and when he did he began to see how truly  _incredible_ Sonic the Hedgehog was capable of being.

As soon as he began to descend, Sonic did what appeared to be somewhat of a flying, midair kick downward. The edge of his shoe just  _barely_ caught the side of the drill - avoiding being shredded, while also  **ruining** its ongoing trajectory. Robotnik's eyes widened in what seemed to be split-second terror as, with the drill out of the way, Sonic curled into a ball, the velocity of his fall carrying him into a blurry tumble that resembled an active  **buzzsaw**. As the drill spiraled down uselessly into the ground, coming to a screeching halt against rock and dirt - straight down the middle, in the gap left behind by the ejected drill, Sonic swooped  **right inside** of the Doctor's contraption. His incredible speed combining with his spines shredded the vehicle in  **half** from the inside out. Smoke and flame began to billow from the internal circuitry as Eggman's car threatened to explode at any moment. Panicked, the scientist disengaged his hovercraft from inside of the frame, only  _barely_ managing to escape in time before the car let out a large and fiery  **kaput**.

Tails was so enamored by the fireworks display that he had neglected to realize his  **muscles** were beginning to wane on him. He couldn't remain in the air at this rate. Although he had seemingly honed enough skill to fly, his stamina wasn't good enough to keep him in the air for very long yet. He supposed that would have to be something he'd  **work on** , making mental note before allowing himself to slowly drift toward the ground and back to his feet. Sonic was quick to cushion his descent by placing his hands steadily on the younger's shoulders, keeping his gaze fixated at Robotnik all the while. Their views  **accosted** each other with malice, despite neither of them being on the same playing field as the other - one on the ground, one in the air. Although their positions had, indeed, reversed however, Sonic maintained the lead with Robotnik seemingly on the defensive. 

"Mark my words, Sonic..." the Doctor hissed from the air, loudly enough for the two of them to hear, "When this day is done...not  _only_ will West Side Island belong to me, but the  **entire world** \- including  _you_ and your little  **fox friend** \- will be  _bending a loyal knee_ to the  **Eggman Empire**." 

Sonic merely feigned a yawn in response, "Sure. Whatever you say, bolt-breath."

Clearly deciding further banter was beyond his inclination, Robotnik growled, his hovercraft turning and promptly beginning to fly over the horizon. Tails began to try and tell Sonic that the citizens of Emerald Hill Town, where they currently stood, needed help after being trapped in robots but...it seemed everyone was  **okay**. When he turned and looked around he could see  _no_ citizens still trapped in robotic shells, all of them simply meandered shyly closer like they wanted to get a look at Sonic himself. 

"Wait...I thought they..." Tails began, but was promptly interrupted as Sonic turned to him.   
"Got trapped in cans? Not a problem..." He wagged his finger as he spoke, "Already busted 'em all out on my way over to rescue  _you_. And  **good thing I did** , too. You really did an  _awesome job_ out there."

Tails felt a hint of  _shyness_ creep up and onto his features. Really? Him? Doing an awesome job? "Ah...it's uh, it's no big deal, really." He allowed his hand to travel back behind his own head, ruffling at his own fur sheepishly. Sonic didn't seem convinced though, not content to let the younger off the compliment train just yet. 

"You kidding?" Sonic remarked, hand gestured outward. "Did you  **see** what we were able to do as a team, buddy? We cracked that Eggman  **wide open** , yoke and  _all_."   
" **Gross**..." Tails felt himself exhale out of his nose, laughing jovially as Sonic was seemingly infected with the same sense of humor about it as he was.  _Then_ Sonic said something that brought his humility back to full force again.

"With your flyin' prowess, we could totally get up to space where he's building his big new weapon. And then  _bam_ , before he knows it? We'll sabotage him right out of the stratosphere. How 'bout it?" 

Well, first of all, Tails is going to have to ask him for the  **details** on that whole 'weapon' thing he mentioned, he doesn't think he's heard about  _that_. But second of all...? He's going to have to  **come clean**. He kicks his foot awkwardly as his gaze trails downward, unable to match Sonic's as he speaks up. "I uh...I mean I'd  **love to** , seriously, but...I can't? Fly for that long, I mean. I only just managed to fly for the first time when I was out there with  _you_ , actually. And even then, after a minute or two...it was too much strain to keep airborne. I'm...sorry I can't be of more help."

Sonic's expression  _does_ seem to soften sadly to a degree, but it's less disappointment  **with Tails** as much as it seems just to be in general.   
"Ah, geez...I'm sorry, little man. I didn't realize. I didn't meant to make ya' feel like a dope, I just...guess I have no other ideas for what I'm gonna do about this mess. As fast as I am, even  _I_ can't launch myself up into  **space**."

"What's Robotnik got going on up in  _space_ , anyway...?" Tails prods, eyebrow raising. That seems to capture Sonic's attention, as if he had just had the epiphany that he'd been neglecting to  _explain_ that.

"Oh,  **shoot** , right. You guys on West Side still probably haven't heard the news yet. I forgot word of mouth travels slow over here. Well, it's not  _pretty_ , that much I can say. He came down to South Island earlier to find me and declare his big evil master plan, because I guess now that I've  _beaten him_ once, he's  **obsessed with me** and needs me to know just how  **badly** he's gonna stomp me out." That sounded true enough, Robotnik didn't exactly inspire confidence in his... _sanity_. Sonic continued, "He's still tryin' to scrounge outlying islands to build up a robot army, but he's also trying to get his hands on the **Chaos Emeralds** and use 'em to power this huge weapon he's building up in space. Some huge station he calls the  **Death Egg**." 

"The...chaos emeralds? I thought those things were just fairy tale stuff." Tails scrunched his nose, looked puzzled. The  **chaos emeralds** were said to be mystical jewels from legend, seven of them in total, which when brought together could grant their wielder nigh  **unlimited power** of a strange, ethereal force known only as  **chaos energy**. Apparently, people had found them before, but nobody was seemingly ever able to prove their existence.

Sonic chuckled, "Well...let's just say, I have some first hand experience."  
  
"Shut. Up." Tails replied in awe, unable to believe what he had just heard. "You mean you've  **seen** the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Sure have." Sonic nodded, "Don't tell anybody this, but they've actually been chilling out on  **South Island** for a while. Somehow old Egghead found that out, and  _that's_ why he came to pick a fight on  **my** turf last year. He managed to get  **six of 'em** , but before he could manage to find the seventh I was able to shut down his whole operation. No idea where the thing's at, but him getting a hold of 'em to power his space station is bad news for  **all of us**." 

"No kidding..." Tails grimaced, "And that's why you need to get to space, huh?"

"Yep." Sonic responded, "Normally I'd be able to kick up my plane and fly 'er out there but she's  **dead outta juice**. Can't seem to make her spin no matter  _how_ hard I try."

Just then, a  **lightbulb** went off in Tails' head. He may not have looked it from the outset, but the kid was a  _brilliant_ mechanic, a regular genius for his age. Being ostracized by your peers gives you a lot of time to tinker around with things, figure them out, see what makes them tick. And  **one** of the things he was especially proficient with was  _planes_. Tails had been tasked with repairing planes for a quick buck for several older guys around town who owned one (official ambassadors for West Side who would sometimes travel to Empire City to discuss things with UF officials). It wasn't much, and they didn't need it often, but there  **was** a market for his skills, however small. It seems  **destiny** had just come knocking.

"I can fix your plane."

Sonic scoffed slightly, waved his hand. "Nah, it- it's alright man, you don't gotta try that." Clearly he thought the suggestion was just a  **joke**.

"I'm not kidding..." Tails affirmed with a more solid tone, "I'm great with engineering. Just show me the stuff and I can get it fixed in time to get you in business."

Sonic blinked, starting to seemingly get the picture. His eyes narrowed slightly, but a smile passed his muzzle all the same. "What's your name, kid?"

A pause. What should he say? He kind of liked this nickname, and had already gotten so used to it in the past half hour or so. If he was leaving his old life on West Side behind to be the engineer for a famous hero, did it really  **matter** what his old name was, anyway? The answer, he decided, was 'probably not'. He gave a similarly confident smile, stuck his hand out to shake.

" **Tails**." He said, "Tails Prower."

Sonic's hand slipped firmly into his own, their palms meeting as the hedgehog's hand squeezed and gave the fox a small shake.   
"Huh. **Lucky guess**."


	4. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the clock ticking closer to doomsday, Sonic brings Tails to his home to see if his plane can be put back into working shape.

"No kidding, this thing  _is_ busted..." Tails frowned subtly.

Sonic, of course, found himself in no real shock or stupor because of this knowledge. He wasn't exactly a technical wizard, but even  _he_ could tell that with the way his plane had been acting recently? It wasn't going anywhere. That's why Sonic had whisked this seemingly smarter friend of his from West Side all the way here, to his home on South Island. The trip had been pretty quick, obviously, given his ground speed capability. It's a good thing the fox hadn't seemed to get sick on the way.

"I'm  _pretty sure_ I can fix this," Tails nodded, as he spoke, "But I'm going to need some supplies that it looks like you might not have."

"Shoot." Sonic offered plainly. If the little guy knew what he needed, it couldn't be  _that_ hard to get their hands on it, right?

"Well, the propeller seems pretty out of shape. Probably got banged up in last year's ordeal, right?"

"Heck yeah it did."

"Thought so. Honestly, by the looks of it? It might need to be replaced altogether."

"So...where are we lookin' for  _that_ at?"

"Well...we can't just take one from any of the townsfolk at West Side. Besides, I'm not sure theirs would work for your model of plane. If I remember correctly, the Chemical Plant nearby on the island should have some people selling parts. A lot of engineers and industry workers are pretty regular visitors."

"Makes sense. So, Chemical Plant it is then?"

Chemical Plant it  _was_ , then. Tails nodded, ascending from the crouching stance he had taken prior. He was feeling a  _little queasy_ already, thinking about taking another zoom across islands, but this  _was_ a bit of an emergency. He couldn't exactly complain too much. So with that being said, the two were off. It's lucky for him that Sonic's incredible speed allowed him to hydroplane, because if not? They'd be fish food by now, several times over.

* * *

 

The smell of the Chemical Plant was just as unpleasant as Tails had imagined it might be, but something was  _off_ from the rest of his expectations as soon as he and Sonic stepped foot in the area. It was surprisingly barren. No life was in sight, or at least very _little_ of it was. This didn't seem lost on Sonic either, his brows scrunched up in a puzzled manner as he scratched underneath his nose.

"Is it just me or is this place  _no-man's land_...? Did we get the right place?" He raises his voice with a slight bit of concern.

"There's no doubt about it..." Tails replied, similarly confused. "This  _is_ the place...even the signs said as much. But it just looks like the whole place got cleared out..."

"Cleared out..." Sonic repeated it slowly as if having a revelation. Before he even had time to say anything else, Tails had already caught on to  _exactly_ what he was thinking. His eyes widened in a moment of panic.

"You don't think..."

"I don't  _think_ , I  **know**." Sonic grimaced. "Gah...of  _course_ Robotnik is behind this. As if this day couldn't have gotten any worse."

"What do you think we should do?" Tails quirked a brow, nearly completely at a loss himself. Thankfully, it seemed as though once he asked that, Sonic had scrounged his brain and found an idea.

"Well, there can't be nobody at  _all_ around here. My guess is that if Robotnik's swept through, he's got some robots patrolling the place. Anybody stuck here's bound to take the smart approach and hide where they can. And  _we're_ gonna find someone willing to talk to us."

"Let's hope it doesn't take ages."

"Hope is a  _very_ fitting word, right now." Sonic chuckled grimly.

The city was crawling with crossroads and tubes, beams and pools of strange pink liquid. Did it always look this way? Tails is going to reckon it  _probably_ didn't. He can't imagine such a toxic looking place jumping out at him proudly from the face of a postcard, that's for sure. As the two of them trekked the empty halls of the strange city structures, Sonic stopped in place as they found themselves standing in front of a tower-like structure. Gently, he stuck his thumb out to point up toward it.

"Kinda hard to tell what's going on here, down on the ground like this..." Sonic said. "Let's head for the top and see if we can get a better look at the goings-on from there."

"Good idea." Tails confirmed, following in flight as Sonic propelled himself up the side of the building.

When they both arrived at the top, Sonic folded several fingers above the line of his brow to shield his eyes from the light. Whistling softly, he felt his teeth tugging slightly to the side in a frown.

"This place is  _sinking_...right into the chemicals underneath the roads. It's slow, but give or take a few weeks? Maybe even a few  _days_ , and this place is going right under."

Why was that? Tails couldn't think of a reason until he considered the circumstances they were facing here. It's Robotnik they're talking about, this is  _inevitably_ something to do with his plans and interference.

"It might be...wait, that's it!" Tails exclaimed. Sonic's eyes followed, perplexed but interested. "If Robotnik's installed one of his robot generators here, it might be on the fritz because he didn't configure it properly. If that's the case, it could be causing reactions under the ground and compromising the stability of the infrastructure here."

Sonic paused in silence, clearly a bit thrown for a loop by the language involved.

Tails sighed softly. "Robotnik's machines suck and it's shaking the city up too hard."

" _Now_ you're speaking my language." Sonic nodded approvingly. "But seriously man? This  _bites_...if we don't find any lurkers around here soon, forget just missing out on plane supplies. We're looking at the total loss of an entire  **city**. And given how much gunk this place is housing? Let me just state for the record that I think that would be a major bad for the environment, while we're at it."

"Yeah, that seems to be about the long and short of it." Tails gulped.

"C'mon, let's start searching." Sonic made a waving motion in the direction he'd already started to move. Swiftly, he curled up and slid back down the building's side, and Tails followed right behind. For as hectic as everything had seemed to become in the last handful of minutes, he was at least relieved that, if nothing else, they had a plan of action. That is, they  _did_ until they reached the ground, because what happened next? Neither of them could have accounted for that.

From above a structure, hidden in the shadow of beams and cross-wires, a robot that looked oddly like a spider dangled downward. One grabbed Sonic and hoisted him up against his will, while another soon followed for Tails. He felt his heart leap into his throat as he heard Sonic grunt disapprovingly.

"Hey you bolt-for-brains! Lemme go!" He shouted, writhing but finding trouble escaping the grasp of its tight, sharp appendages.

Tails was stunned into silence, unsure what to even say or do. It seemed as though if even  _Sonic_ couldn't do anything, they might truly be doomed before they had even started. Well, they might have been, if it weren't for a sudden twist of fate. The next thing Tails heard was the cry of a third party, the toss of some kind of object, the large clatter of metal against metal, and the thud of his and Sonic's own bodies hitting the pavement.

"Oof...that's gonna bruise..." Sonic complained under his breath, before raising his head. "Who...-?"

"Oh thank goodness y'all boys are alright." A voice replied, a yellow rabbit mobian stepping forward. Even  _stranger_ seemed to be her  **mechanical limbs** , one metal arm,  _two_ metal legs.

"Mah name's Bunnie Rabbot, but y'all can call me Bunnie. Did I hear tell that ya' need a local's help?"


	5. One Step Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic and Tails find assistance in their new friend Bunnie Rabbot, who seems to have a bit of a troubled background - to say the least.

"He did  **what**?" Sonic cringes backward into himself, his shoulders stiffening. Unfortunately, it seems like this didn't deter Bunnie's expression at all; she  _wasn't_ joking.

"Sure did, sugar..." She nods, smiling weakly, "Robotnik slapped mah happy-self into one'a them robot machines he's got. Said he wanted to test whether a mobian's parts could be turned  _directly to steel_ instead'a bein' encased. The dang thing blew up mid-scan, but it still got part'a me."  
  
"And you escaped?" Tails offers cautiously, not wanting to dredge up bad memories but being intrigued nonetheless.

"Yup!" She gives an enthusiastic nod, "Guess he wasn't countin' on his little additions to give me enough gusto to break free. That's score one for me." Bunnie rotates her shoulder slightly, winces and holds the joint. When Sonic winces in response, looking to reach in concern, she holds up a palm - stops him.

"M'fine, don't worry...just a lil' sore's all. Phantom pains, y'know."

"Makes sense..." Sonic nods grimly.

"Eh...'nuffabout  _me_ though," she waves her hand dismissively, "What did y'all need help with? Ah've been livin' here for a long while now, so any way I can get Robotnik's junk outta my city's a good deal to me."

Tails nods, looks at Sonic briefly.  
"Want me to give the technical jargon?"

Sonic gives a silent thumb's up first, before following up with:  
"Please. Leave it to  _me_ and you'd probably end up getting the wrong thing."

Tails chuckles softly, scoots in closely to Bunnie and mutters to her. Something about  _specifications_ , model number, wingspan...Sonic honestly could have gone to sleep right there from that alone. But he didn't, he needed to stay focused, alert. Robots could drop by any time now, they had been  _lucky_ to find this corner to duck into. After a moment of banter, Tails pulls back, and Bunnie places her hands on her knees resolutely.

She smiles, teeth bared cheerily.  
"Ah'm gonna make you boys a deal. Howssat?"

Sonic shrugs, "We're listening."

"You clear these bots outta here, and don't worry, obviously I'll help - and then ah'll give ya' the propeller y'need free of charge. I got one back at the shop, but ah'm gonna need a clear path if I'm gonna make it there."

A small  _snap_ from Sonic, and a smirk in return. He's starting to look excited again.  
" **Can** do. Tails, you feeling up for it? I don't wanna stress you too much."

Tails nods softly. Sure, he did feel kinda tired; but that was no excuse to rest. Not at a time as important as this.  
"Don't worry, I'm good."

"Right, then let's do it to it, gang." Sonic holds out a fist, to which both Tails and Bunnie promptly bump. A small  _thud_ emits when Bunnie's fist touches Sonic's, and he sheepishly recoils with a bit of a jolt. " _Ow_...?" 

Bunnie startles, smiles shyly. "Oh- woops, sorry sugar. Sometimes ah just don't know mah own strength."

* * *

 

The smog was thick, the chemical smell in the air was foul, and Sonic was sure the addition of smoke and gunpowder wasn't going to make it any more pleasant. Still though, these robots had to go if they wanted their supplies, so there wasn't many other options. He curls into a ball, shreds his spines through a row of crawling metallic nightmares. Critters pop out of them left and right, and he gently shuffles them backward to a safer area.

"How's it coming on your end, partner?" He calls.

Tails huffs gently, obviously becoming winded a bit faster than Sonic, but holding his own fairly well.  
"It's coming! I guess..."

Tails feels a shadow settle over him, doesn't have much time to yelp as he realizes he's being bared down on by a  _huge_ spider-bot like the one that grabbed him earlier. Of course, this time things go a lot smoother. Bunnie jumps in right on time, slamming her robotic fist against the beast and knocking it right into one of the walls. Its shell cracks loudly, sliding down to the ground and giving way as it breaks in half.

"Thanks for the save..." He sighs in relief.

"N'awh, don't mention it." She smiles, places a protective hand on his shoulder. Subtly, her expression becomes a bit more serious as she looks up, inflects her voice further to where Sonic is standing. "How's things lookin' over there, Sonic? Y'see much more of 'em left?"

Sonic squints ahead. It's a bit difficult to see a long distance through all of the smoke, but he doesn't  _think_ he sees anything. He takes a few cautious steps forward, trying to see if his vision will improve that way.

"Not  _seein'_ anything, yet. But I  **doubt** that was all of 'em-"

Suddenly, as Sonic steps over the threshold of the platform he stands on, a partitioned gate slips up from behind him. It traps him inside a narrow corridor that crawls up  _horizontally_ instead of vertically on like a road. He jumps slightly, feeling the gust of wind as it whooshes from below, latches. He whips around, bangs his curled fist against it from his side.

"Oh shoot-! Hey! Can you guys hear me?"

Bunnie winces, feels her heart begin to race as she and Tails dash over to the wall and begin similarly banging on it.

"Dang, this thing's too sturdy! Ah can't break it!" She mutters, panicked.

Sonic huffs tiredly, but his attention's drawn downward when he feels a strange sensation. What  _was_ that? His shoes feel...wet.

Sonic quickly realizes exactly why. Little pools of pink water begin settling between the seams of the flooring, he feels his heart sink, his hands tremble.

"Guys?" Sonic stammers, "If you're gonna think of something, now would  _probably_ be the time."


	6. Don't Turn Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tails and Bunnie work to rescue Sonic from a deadly trap, but that isn't the end of their worries.

"I never even got to write an obituary..." Comes a half-sarcastic whimper from the mouth of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Truthfully, making jokes was his way of coping with the panic that rose in his stomach with every passing second. He seemed to be trapped between two walls, with water quickly beginning to rise below him. It was about at  _ankle level_ now, and if he wasn't busy worrying about drowning he might be more perturbed by his socks getting wet.

In the meantime, Tails and Bunnie continued to pound harder on the door. They had done everything they could think of, even throwing their entire weights at it - but the stupid thing wouldn't budge. Tails was beginning to panic, and it didn't much look like Bunnie had any better ideas either. Come on, think! He was practically a genius for his age, so there must be some way out of this situation, right?

He hears a large  **bang** from behind him. His shoulders jut outward involuntarily, he spins on his heels and sees a large worm-like robot accosting Bunnie. His eyes widen as he shouts.

"Bunnie! Are you-?!"

"Don't worry 'bout me, sugar! I can hold 'em off, but you gotta think of a way ta' save Sonic!"

He swallows nervously, she's right. He can't keep her waiting, and if they both get caught up defending from robots, this was  _not_ going to turn out pretty. His gaze flits desperately around himself, trying to spot something -  _anything_ that could help them. Almost as if to evoke divine intervention, he allows his eyes to peer upward - but then he sees something. No, not  **Furry Jesus**. He sees something he hadn't noticed about the architecture here before. The wall in front of them was very tall, sure, but it appeared to be open at the top. Tails rushes to the closed door again, presses his muzzle against it and yells to Sonic.

"Sonic! You still with us?!"

"For now, bud!" Sonic responds, the water having quickly risen to around his knees. "But we're really cutting it close, here!" 

"Humor me for a second, do you see any way to ascend?"

"Don't ya' think if I _did_ I'd have gotten outta here by now?!"

"Good point...but don't worry! That gives me an idea!"

Without waiting to hear what Sonic might respond with, Tails takes a step back, and a deep breath along with it. Ever since he had first tried to propel himself with his tails, he had struggled with the task - known that it took a lot out of him. Too much was at stake here, though, he  _had_ to follow through. Tails spins his appendages into a whirlwind, strains himself farther than he feels he normally might as his brows crinkle painfully.

He darts upward, scaling the span of air between the ground and the tip of the wall. It's an impossibly tall wall, to be frank, and to descend and come back up? He actually can't imagine it. Right now though, he doesn't have  _time_ to imagine it. He only has time to decide what has to be done and then do it.

The fox just barely feels his stamina pitter out by the time he reaches the edge of the wall. He begins to feel slightly light-headed. Wait, more importantly, where was Sonic? He had to be down there, right? He would just take a look.

* * *

The next thing he knows, he's awoken by a  _snap_ in his face. He startles, sees that Sonic is holding him up just barely above water level. It's risen so high now that it's about at Sonic's chin.

"Dude, I thought you were a goner! I can't  _believe_ you flew that high, but you sure took a hit."

"Ugh...what happened?"

"You basically passed out right when you got to the top. Fell face-first straight into the splash-zone."

"Wait- is the water still rising?!"

"Yeah uh, it's only been a couple of minutes, to be honest."

Tails grits his teeth. Great, just great. So they were still stuck, and now all that was going to happen was  _two of them_ would drown to death instead of just one. Reflexively, he curses his body for being too weak, spins his tails in anger. A small buzzing sound emits, a splash of water fiercely hitting the wall behind him. Did...did  _he_ just do that?

Sonic balks,  
"Uhm. Was that  _you_...?"

"I...maybe?"

"Do it again?"

Tails focuses on trying to do the same thing as he did before. Spins his tails as if he were above water. His torso, submerged, feels a smidge of a  _tingle_ as his tails swiftly fly in a rhythmic motion like a table fan. Could it be that it was easier to propel himself through water? In a way, it makes sense. Gravity? Water makes things heavier, but suffice it to say, it's much easier to swim than it is to keep a  _plane in the air_ for example. 

As his tails spin, he feels himself lifting. Sonic's eyes widen slightly as the two of them rise with each shift in the tide. As the water raises, so do they. Eventually, it's built up enough that Tails gets an idea.

"I wanna try something...do you trust me?"

Sonic shrugs,  
"I'm pretty much screwed if I don't at this point."

"Fair enough." Tails shrugs mutually, takes a deep breath as he plunges underneath the water - Sonic still in tow. He loops back down, does a circle in the water which culminates in him rising directly back to the surface. As he passes through the threshold between water and air, Tails darts straight out from underneath the waves, face pointed at the sky as the propulsion launches he and Sonic right up and over the rest of the wall. 

When Tails lands, he lands on his back - which he feels  _pop_ slightly. He feels his neck, tense, aching. Sonic doesn't fare much better, landing straight on his head. Thankfully, his spines seemed to cushion his fall, but Tails can swear he hears the Hedgehog cursing a bit under his breath. When they finally allow their tired eyes to rise, Bunnie is sitting among a pack of broken robots. Her stare is a hundred-yards long, and she seems thoroughly exhausted.

"Don't get me wrong, fellas...I'm happier than a snake in a boot, but I wish y'all had gotten done  _not dyin'_ a little sooner."

"I'll be sure to die quick, next time, then." Sonic offers, always ready to deliver a smarmy quip despite his seemingly withered state. Bunnie merely exhales through her nose, humored.

"Anyway...let's definitely keep an eye out for more'a these types of traps, boys. Never know when one might be right around the corner."

It had been Tails' intent to make another joke about their circumstances, but afterward, he barely had the time. Not just because their mission was somewhat  _time sensitive_ , either. Another voice interrupts his own, and it doesn't belong to Sonic or even to Bunnie herself.

"No need to watch for traps, my furry friends." The voice is unmistakably familiar, and rotten to the core. "Your downfall has already arrived." Chuckles the voice of Dr. Robotnik.

Sonic raises a brow at the doctor, puts the top his hand against his chin as he yawns.

"God your speeches are lame...you're gonna bore me to tears, Captain Monologue."

"True geniuses are never really appreciated in their time."

As he says that, a long narrow tube juts out from the side of his flying vehicle. It sticks into the toxic liquid brewing below their feet, sucking it all up and into the dispenser. At the press of a small rubber valve, it begins to spray out toward the heroes. They back away just in the nick of time, and it quickly becomes clear why they should count their blessings. The liquid, which lands on part of the walkway, begins to eat away at the metal and other materials which were below itself. Even pipes began to erode, melting into a wave of chemical smells. Sonic covers his nose, makes a gagging noise.

"Ugh...what  _is_ this?"

"This, hedgehog..." replies Robotnik, "Is a liquid I've been developing here. It can eat through most surfaces, which also includes  _skin and fur_."

"Did anybody ever tell you that you might grow up to be a serial killer, one day? No real reason, I just kind of get that vibe about you." Sonic offers.

"I really don't like you."

"Ooo, a compliment!"

Thankfully, due to the way he's distracted with Sonic - he didn't even see the other two coming. Tails had sneakily flown Bunnie a few feet over and around Robotnik while his focus lied elsewhere. Her robotic hand grasps the vile, tosses it against the pronged feet of Robotnik's machine. By the time he notices the noise, it's too late, the glass has shattered.

He bellows indignantly, "Fools!" and attempts to steer the legs so that he can turn around. Obviously, as the legs melt away, he hasn't many options to use them. Instead, he simply flusters, slams his gloved hand on the button labeled " **Escape Mode** " on his flying vehicle pod. It quickly lifts itself off the ground as Bunnie tries, in vain, to grab it.

"You may have won this time...but I've got a little  _secret_ for you." Eggman grins.

"Oh  _boy_ , I'm  **so scared**..." Sonic mocks.

"You  _should_ be, rodent." He hums, withdraws from the floor of his pod a  _chaos emerald_ , which he shows off with great pride. Immediately, Sonic's boost of confident attitude dissipates. Panic settles, he  _knows_ that emerald. He knows that  _color_.

"Wait a second...where did you-?"

"South Island, of course! You've been so focused on chasing me across West-Side that you never even noticed I would search your home turf. Thank you for the easy victory." He sneers, hands rubbing greedily together as he sets the emerald down. "And I have a good idea of where to look next." He follows up.

Before Sonic can ask for clarification, he's already off.  
Things could have gone... _better_ , just now.


	7. An Audience With His Majesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic and Tails pursue Robotnik further through West Side Island, but when they come across a town under attack, they'll have to make another pit-stop.

"That's it? That's the one?" Sonic blinks, not familiar enough with _propellers_ to tell if this is the one he needs.

"Sure is, sugar-hog." Bunnie Rabbot gives a small nod. She seems a bit exhausted, given that they all just got back from smashing the robot generator at the center of the city. It hadn't been too far from where they'd encountered Robotnik just a short while ago, and thankfully that part was easier than any of the other troubles they'd had today.

Gratitude is visible in the smile on Tails' face as he receives the part, seems a bit sheepish.

"We really can't thank you enough for the help, Bunnie." He gently mutters, almost too quiet to be heard.  
  
"No kiddin'..." Sonic interjects, voice much clearer, "Without you, we woulda' been spider-bot food for sure."

Bunnie waves her hand dismissively, as if to say it's no big deal. Before she can say as much, though, there's a small spark - a puff of smoke as her hand becomes loose and swivels on the mount of her wrist. Her brows knit in irritation, a low growl rumbling from the bottom of her throat.

"This thang jus' don't know  _how_ to stop givin' me trouble, ah swear."

"Do you...need help with that?" Tails winces.

"Nahhh, don' worry about it none. Y'all have bigger fish to fry. Y'got your plane part, ya'd better get in the air and follow that nasty old Robotnik 'fore he gets too far."

"You're right." Sonic nods, awkwardly curls his fist and bumps his knuckles against Bunnie's limp hand. She laughs openly at that. "Stay cool, we'll keep in touch, yeah?" Sonic follows up.

"Sure thang. Ah'll let you know if we have any more pests in the future."

* * *

Truth be told, Sonic hadn't expected the day to have gotten so crazy so  _quickly_. He wishes he had a chance to get a nap somewhere in here, but given that Tails didn't take too long to replace the propeller once he got to work? He really didn't have any time to waste or any justification to waste it. The hedgehog slowly rocks from the backs of his heels and up onto his feet from where he sits laid back against the wall, stretches his arms as he yawns. The two had returned to his garage, where he'd usually stow the Tornado away when it wasn't in use. The smell of oil was abound, and he found his nose twitching uncomfortably every time he got a whiff of it.

"That should do it." Tails wipes a bead of sweat from his brow, hands shifting flatly against his hips in a display of triumph.

"We ready for takeoff?" Sonic asks, his tone leading.

"Well, not  _technically_ , no."

"What? What  _else_ do we have to do?" Sonic's tone sounds distressed. Does he not have fuel? Is the motor screwed up too? Is his paint job **whack**?

"Well, first we need to start it."

"...Oh. Yeah, that makes sense."

Tails snorts softly, an exhale coming through his nose as he steps up the small step-ladder positioned to the side of the plane. He carefully stretches his right leg outward to get a foothold inside of the passenger seat, about to sit when suddenly he hears a sharp whistle. His heart lurches inside of his chest and he nearly does a  _split_ on the side of the plane (he's very thankful that he  _freezes_ , instead).

"What?" He questions wearily, upon realizing that  _Sonic_ was the culprit and not anyone else dropping in on them unexpectedly.

"What're you doing getting in the  _back_ , man?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You're flyin', right? You're the plane expert."

"Oh- I mean...I can? Do you want me to?"

"Shoot yeah, I have something I wanna try that I've never gotten to do before."

"By all means, enlighten me." Tails sounds a bit  _nervous_ when he says that.

Sonic raises a leg in preparation for what, at first, one might mistake as the world's stupidest looking dance move. However thankfully, he merely seems to have been building strength in one bent knee to propel himself up when his foot hit the ground. The added kick gives height to his jump, and with a midair flip he lands nigh perfectly on the top wing. He follows this stunt, of course, with a bow, accompanied by whispers meant to imitate the roar of a pleased crowd.

"Thank you, thank you."

"Sonic?" Tails raises a brow impatiently.

"What? A guy can't have fun?" He teases in response.

"Pfff...just be sure you're ready, okay? Get down from there and buckle up."

"Huh? Whaddya' mean?"

Now Tails is even  _more_ confused.  
"What do  _you_ mean? Are you  _staying_ up there?"

"Yeah! That's what I was talking about when I said I wanted to try something."

"I thought you meant the kick-flip."

"Oh, no, I do that all the time."

"I-  _okay_. Are you sure this is a good idea, though? That looks like a kind of dangerous place to be."

"Is it any more dangerous than half the stuff I already do?"

"...Fair enough."

The motor hums to life as the propeller begins to turn. Switches click underneath Tails' fingers as he slips the aviator hat on his head and steps over into the cockpit and sits down.

"Well then..." Tails muses idly to himself.

"Ready for takeoff?" Sonic appends to his words expectantly.

"... **Ready for takeoff**." Tails affirms with a small, confident grin.

* * *

As triumphant as that moment had felt when they had first gotten in the air, Tails had to admit that the actual  _trip_ part was...pretty boring. It's not as if he hadn't anticipated that they'd be flying for a while, but he kind of wished something more  _exciting_ was going on right now. Although, perhaps he should've been careful as to what exactly he was wishing for. The idle stupor he's in is  _broken_ when Sonic bends his knees, slides his arm back and  _snaps_ right next to Tails' ear.

"Tails, Tails! Look alive, buddy."

"Hnn...? What? What's up?"

"Do you see that?" Sonic withdraws his arm from near the fox's face, points a finger down toward the surface.

Below them seemed to be an expanse of lush hills and blue mountain formations. Tails had heard of this place before, it was a town on West Side Island -  **Hill Top**. What Sonic was pointing out  _obviously_ wasn't just the town itself though, it only took a moment for Tails to notice the real source of the hedgehog's concerns. Robots swarmed, barreling down the inclines toward panicking civilians. There didn't look to be too many captured mobians yet, but he had a sinking feeling that this wouldn't remain true for very long.

"Time for a pit-stop?" Tails' tone of voice becomes much more sobered, present.

"Yeah, take us in for a landing. I know we're on a tight schedule, but I can't just sit around and watch somethin' like this." Sonic frowns, brows arching in anger.

Almost as soon as the Tornado swoops in to land, Sonic hops off of the top wing and onto the ground. Tails hadn't even finished landing  _properly_ yet, he was still stuck getting the landing gear to help him scrape along the grass. Thankfully, it seems the sudden appearance of a  _biplane_ was enough to temporarily surprise the badniks into a ceasefire. That obviously wasn't going to last, now that they'd seen Sonic, though. 

A long necked purple robot with beady eyes and a circular body continued unphased, lurching near a chipmunk girl with menace. Sonic immediately turns, ear twitching at the sound of the machine's roar, prepared to race to her side, when suddenly-

"Excuse me." She huffs to the beast, making a very _precise_ step to the side as its jaw clamps against the dirt - just missing where she had been moments before.

She takes advantage of its confusion and makes a swift leap on top of its head, seemingly trying to weigh it down. Unfortunately, she seems to have underestimated its neck strength - as it effortlessly lifted her into the air, snarling in anger. At this, her expression falters, clearly kicking herself mentally for not anticipating this development.

 _This_ is where Sonic came in. The hedgehog launches himself as fast as he can toward the machine's extended neck, curling into his signature buzzsaw formation. As soon as his spines meet the metal, it shears effortlessly apart, sparks flying as he dizzily stumbles to his feet in time to catch the falling girl.

"Oof-" Sonic reacts as her weight shifts onto his. His knees buckle slightly, but he still manages not to fall over.

"Oh  _God_...that was close." She sighs shakily, pinches the bridge of her nose as she gently positions her foot on the ground, climbs down carefully as Sonic helps her. "Thank you for that."

"No prob, s'just what I do." Sonic offers shyly, hands slipping behind his head leisurely as his pupils flit in a different direction.

"You're...Sonic, right? Sonic the Hedgehog?"

"I was-I can- err- I  **am**." He wags his finger on that last one, as if to say ' _yeah, that's the right word'_.

Tails, who had only just now arrived on the scene after having gotten safely out of the cockpit, was already rolling his eyes. He hadn't anticipated that _Sonic_ of all people would be so awkward around a girl, especially considering he had seemed just fine around Bunnie. Maybe she just wasn't his type? Well, anyway. To save the guy further comedy at his own expense, Tails interjects.

"And I'm Tails. His, uhm... _mechanic_...?  _Pilot_...?" He trails off, trying to decide which one sounded more fitting.

"Partner in crime?" Sonic shrugs.

"Sure, we can go with that." Tails shrugs similarly.

"Oh good, more help is even better." The girl frowns worriedly, uses both hands to clutch one of Sonic's and one of Tails'. "I need both of you to help me with something."

"Uhm...sure, what's the matter?" Tails quirks a brow, a look of concern creeping into his features.

"It's my father...he was taken hostage by some of these robots shortly before you got here."

"Hostage?" Sonic looks a tad bit  _bewildered_. He had seen tons of robots convert a mobian into another one of their own, or simply  _attack_ them in some cases. Never had he actually seen someone be taken as a hostage in their organic state, though. "Is...your dad some kind of important figure, or somethin'?"

"Oh, definitely." She nods, her tone earnest as her hands dwindle away from the other's, returning to her sides. "He's the king of West Side Island."

Now it's  _Tails'_ turn to balk. His eyes widen, hand instinctively raising to comb nervously through his fur.

"Wait...King Acorn?" He queries. "You're King Acorn's daughter?"

"Yes..." the girl nods in response, "I'm Princess **Sally Acorn** , but...please just call me Sally, if you don't mind."

"Sure thing, Princess-" Begins Sonic sheepishly, before he _immediately_ stops and buries his face in one palm.

"She  _said_ -" Tails starts.

" _I realized it as soon as it came out of my mouth_." Sonic groans.

Sally stifles an obvious laugh bubbling from within her chest, crosses her arms as she clears her throat to compose herself.

"Anyway...will you two be able to help?"

"No doubt!" Sonic's attitude comes back at full force, a twinkle of determination in his eyes. "Who'd turn down an audience with his majesty?"


End file.
